The Mermaid in the Basement

by Gilbert, Morris

  She turned and entered the house, and as soon as she shut the door she leaned her back against it. She felt drained, for the tension of robbing a house had been great. But a sense of something else came to her. Her hand seemed to tingle, and she realised that she had acted like a weak woman, putting her trust in a man. The thought troubled her, and she moved away from the door, her mind not orderly but swirling with a vague confusion that was totally unlike her usual carefully controlled thoughts. It’s just the strain—and it was just a handshake—it didn’t mean anything. But her thoughts went back persistently to that moment when Dylan Tremayne’s hand had held her own—in an embrace that had shaken her so greatly that she could not put it out of her mind.

  Inspector Grant appeared at ten in the morning, just as rehearsals began. He was met by the producer, Sir William Dowding. “What can I do for you, Inspector?” he asked quickly.

  “I’m going to have to question the cast, Sir William.”

  “Whatever for?” Sir William’s grey hair and light blue eyes made him look younger than his age of sixty-five, and he was quite accustomed to having his own way.

  “There are still some unanswered questions about the death of Katherine Fairfield.”

  Dowding stared at him. “You’ve got Clive Newton in custody, I understand.”

  “Yes, but there are still some loose ends. Do you mind if I start with you?”

  Dowding said, “Why, I don’t think—”

  “It’d be much more comfortable here than having you come to the station.”

  Dowding swallowed hard.He stared at Matthew Grant and saw something in his eyes that gave him pause. “Very well, Inspector.”

  “Perhaps we can find a more private place. But first let’s inform the cast. I’ll need to speak with each of them.”

  For an instant Grant was convinced that Sir William would refuse. “Very well,” Sir William said in a resigned tone, “but I hope you’ll be brief. We have a rehearsal.”

  “And I have a murdered woman,” Grant said.

  “Well, yes, of course.”Grant waited there while Sir William raised his voice and informed the cast that Inspector Grant wanted to speak with each of them. “Go ahead and do what rehearsal you can while I speak with the inspector.”He came back and said, “Now we can meet over here in this room, Inspector.”

  The two men went into a small side room that was used, evidently, as a dressing room for some of the lesser actors. Sir William turned and said somewhat aggressively, “Now please get this over as quickly as possible.”

  “Were you one of Katherine Fairfield’s lovers, Sir William?”

  The blunt question achieved exactly what Matthew Grant intended. The shock set the producer back on his heels. He glared at Grant, his eyes flashing, for he had not been expecting anything like this. Grant, although he did not show it by any expression, was pleased to see him thrown off balance.

  “That is insulting, Inspector. My acquaintance with her has nothing to do with her death!”

  “How can you be sure of that? Or better said, how can I be sure of that? There’s always a chance that a cast-off lover will grow jealous. There have been any number of murders committed under such circumstances as this.”

  “Why—you’re unsound!” A flush suffused Dowding’s features, and he said furiously, “You have the murderer under arrest. I am insulted and shall certainly report your boorish behaviour to Superintendent Winters!”

  “I’m sorry if I offended you, Sir William—but I notice that you have not answered my question. It would be very easy to prove me wrong.” Grant’s eyes narrowed, and he shot the words at Dowding as if they were bullets: “Were you her lover or not?”

  Dowding appeared to be on the verge of striking Grant, but instead he took a deep breath and appeared to gain control of himself. “All right, Grant, I will answer your question. Yes, we were lovers.” His lips twisted in a cynical smile as he asked,“Now where does that get you? If you arrest all the men Kate had affairs with, your jail will be overcrowded.”

  Grant studied the producer for a long moment, then said, “Thank you, Sir William, for your honesty. Now one more question.Where were you on the night that Katherine Fairfield was murdered?”

  Dowding was no fool, and he said, “You know I took Kate out to dinner, I’m sure. But she wasn’t feeling well, so I took her home early.”

  “How early, sir?”

  “Somewhere around midnight.”

  “Did you go into her house?”

  “I did not! As I said, she wasn’t feeling well, and I dropped her off at her home, then went at once to my own.”

  “Can anyone vouch for that?”

  “Why, yes, of course. My servants were there when I got home.”

  “And what did you do when you got home?”

  Sir William grew frosty. “I went to bed as any normal man would.”

  “Did you leave your home after that?”

  “Certainly not!”

  “Can anybody testify to that?”

  Sir William hesitated, then blurted out, “No, of course not. It was after midnight, and the servants all went to bed.”

  Grant turned his head to one side, and his voice was persistent as he said, “So you cannot prove that you were not with Katherine Fairfield when she was killed.”

  “I won’t put up with this!” Dowding said, his face pale. “I cannot prove I was not with Kate when she was murdered, and you cannot prove that I was! You’re intimating that I had something to do with Katherine’s death.”

  Grant suddenly changed direction, for he knew that Dowding was exactly right. “Have you had any altercations with her?”

  “Of course I did! Everyone had altercations with Kate Fairfield. She was a difficult woman. Beautiful, yes, but very difficult.”

  “What were you arguing about, if you don’t mind saying?”

  “I do mind saying, and I refuse to answer any more questions.”

  “Then answer me this.”Grant decided to take another tack. “Did any of the rest of the cast have any difficulties with Miss Fairfield?”

  Sir William gave a bitter laugh. “All of them.”

  “Oh, come now, Sir William. That’s no answer.”

  “Well, it’s almost true. You know she was engaged at one time to Ashley Hamilton.”

  “The actor who plays Hamlet?”

  “Yes. They were very young, and it didn’t last long.” His expression changed, and he added, “She cast him aside when someone richer came along.”

  “And how did Mr. Hamilton take it?”

  “He attacked her.”

  “You mean verbally?”

  “No, I mean physically. He beat her up. She had him arrested. It looked for a while as if he would go to prison, but he got off somehow.”

  “How in the world did the two of them get parts in the same play? It seems like any producer knowing this would have avoided that.”

  “I don’t know why, but Kate insisted that Ashley be asked.”

  “You must have some idea why.”

  Sir William threw his hands wide in an exasperated gesture. “The only reason that I can give you is that she wanted to torment him—which she did. She made fun of his acting. In their scenes together, she made him look like a fool and an incompetent performer, but I let her talk me into it.”

  “That’s worth looking into. Anybody else particularly at odds with Miss Fairfield?”

  “Well, of course Elise Cuvier was very bitter. Perhaps an understudy is always jealous of the star. She has to stand in the shadow of someone else. Her only hope is that something will happen—” Sir William broke off and looked confused. “I didn’t mean to intimate that Elise killed her.”

  “Murder has been done for less. Anybody else?”

  “Well, Malcom Gilcrist was practically mesmerized by Katherine.

  She could do that to a man, you know.”

  “No, I don’t know.”

  “Well, there are women like that. Malcom and Irene Gil
crist have been married for years, but it was obvious to the whole cast that Malcom was chasing around after Katherine.”

  “Do you think they were lovers?”

  “I don’t think so, but Irene was convinced that they were. There’s a possibility for you to work on.”

  Grant studied the older man carefully. “Thank you very much, Sir William. I believe those are all my questions for now.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you would keep all these things to yourself. I have enough trouble in this company without your setting us off against each other.”

  “Privileged communication, I assure you.Would you please send Mr.

  Hamilton in?”

  Grant stood there musing over the information he had gotten from Sir William.He did not know exactly what it meant, but it was something he would think over.

  Ashley Hamilton entered the room, and it was obvious to Grant that he had already begun drinking, although it was only a little after ten in the morning. “I understand you have a few questions for me, Inspector.”

  “Yes, if you don’t mind.”

  “Or if I do mind?”

  Grant smiled. “Yes, even if you do mind. I’ll try to be as quick as possible.”

  “Perhaps I can save you some time.”

  “That would be most helpful.”

  “If you’re looking for a killer other than young Newton, I’d probably be your next suspect.”

  “And why do you say that?”

  “I have the feeling,” Hamilton said, his lips twitching, “that you already know.”

  “I know that you were once engaged to the victim and that it was not an amiable parting.”

  “If you try to find everybody who wasn’t amiable with Katherine, you’re going to have more suspects than you have room for in your jail.”

  “Those are almost the exact words of another person. Where were you on the night she was killed?”

  “I was here at the theatre until after the performance. I went out to eat with the rest of the cast, and then I went home.”

  “You live alone?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Can anyone testify that you were there?”

  “Not that I know of. So what do you do with that information?”

  “I’ll think about it,” Grant said. “Did you kill your ex-lover?”

  “No.” The word leapt to Hamilton’s lips. “I didn’t.”

  “Assuming you’re telling the truth, who do you think did?”

  Hamilton stared at the inspector. “I didn’t know you people asked questions like this.What possible use is my opinion to you?”

  “It seems to me that the world of the theatre is a very close little circle. There are all sorts of currents going around. So I’m asking you who would you suspect?”

  “I may be a drunk and a poor actor, but I’m not an informer. You’re the detective. You find the criminal, although I thought you had Clive Newton.”

  “He hasn’t been tried and found guilty yet. Until he is, the case is open. That will be all for now.Would you send in Mrs. Gilcrist.”

  “You want her husband too?”

  “No, one at a time. Mrs. Irene Gilcrist first.”

  Irene Gilcrist, when she appeared, had a guarded manner. She was an attractive woman in her midthirties, and she had the mobile face of an actress. “You have questions for me, Inspector?”

  “Just a few. I’d like to know where you were on the night that Miss Fairfield was murdered.”

  “I was at home. My husband and I left immediately after the performance.”

  “You were together the entire night?”

  Irene smiled bitterly. “Yes, we were.Where else would a husband be but with his wife.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply—”

  “I know what you meant to imply. I also see that you’re a young man who looks into things very carefully.”

  “That’s my business, Mrs. Gilcrist.”

  “Well, go ahead and ask me any questions.”

  “I have heard that you were jealous because your husband paid attention to the murdered woman.”

  “You’re exactly right. He’s a fool! There’s no fool like an old fool. She didn’t care a flip for him, but she liked to keep men dangling on a string.”

  “You don’t think there was actually an affair, then, between the two.”

  For an instant something changed in her face, and Grant caught it instantly. She’s not sure about that, he thought. He waited for her to answer and saw that for all her talent as an actress, she could0 not cover up the bitterness.“ I don’t know. He would have had an affair with her, but I think she was just playing with him. She liked to do that with men, you know.”

  “So I understand. That’ll be all for now.”

  “Do you want to talk to my husband?”

  “I’m sure he would say the same thing, wouldn’t he, that the two of you were together?”

  “Yes, he would. He’s not that big a fool.”

  “Thank you, ma’am. That’ll be all for now.”

  For the next twenty minutes, Grant spoke to other members of the cast. Claude Douglas, who played the role of Polonius, confirmed what the others had said about the nature of the relationship between Sir William Dowding and Katherine Fairfield, and also about the jealousy of Irene Gilcrist. He spoke slightingly of Ashley Hamilton, and he himself had no alibi.

  “I didn’t know I was going to need an alibi.”Douglas smiled. “If I had known it, I would certainly have provided one.”

  Ives Montgomery, who played Horatio, had a surface charm, at least. He answered all of the questions that Grant put to him and said, “I was out with a young lady.”

  “You can’t give me her name?”

  “Certainly. Her name is Maggie Monoghan. She’s a barmaid at the Black Horse Tavern.”

  “Were you with her all night?”

  “No, that would have been too boring, but I was there at the time Katherine was murdered.”

  “How do you know when she was murdered?” Grant snapped quickly.

  “I heard a rumour that it must have been about two o’clock. I can account for that very well. Really, I didn’t have anything to do with it, Inspector. I’m much too cowardly, and I have no motive.”

  “You weren’t tempted by Miss Fairfield?”

  “Not in the least. It was obvious to any man what she was. There’s an insect called a praying mantis.” A slight smile played on his lips. “I’ve heard it said that after mating, the female eats the male. That pretty well describes Katherine—except, of course, she’s more attractive than any bug.”

  Grant shook his head. “I’ll be talking to you later perhaps. Send Mr. Dylan Tremayne in.”

  “Glad to.”

  Grant waited, thinking about the cast, until Tremayne came in. “Yes, Inspector, what can I do for you?”

  “You can tell me if you ever had an affair with Katherine Fairfield.”

  “No, I never did.”

  “Can you prove that?”

  “I don’t see how. It’s easy to prove an affair, but I don’t know how you disprove it.”

  “She never led you on?”

  “That she did.” Dylan’s smile was innocuous. “Why not? She did that to practically every man she fancied. It was her way of life.”

  “But you didn’t surrender to her?”

  “I’m not as dumb as I look, Inspector. I’ve got better sense than to have anything to do with a woman whose habit is tormenting men.”

  “There seems to be little doubt about that.Who do you think killed her?”

  “Well, not me.”

  “Where were you while it was taking place?”

  “I was at the Water Street Mission. That’s a place where I help sometimes with derelicts and women in trouble. Mostly prostitutes. We feed them and try to give them some direction, some help, you know.”

  “You’ve got a witness to that?”

  “Oh yes, plenty of witnesses.”

  Grant st
udied the young man, thinking of his connection with Viscountess Trent. “What’s your relationship with Viscountess Trent?”

  “We are acquainted,” Dylan said cheerfully. “I was a friend of her brother’s, and I’ve offered to help her in any way I can.”

  “How could you possibly help?”

  “Well, I could offer moral support and prayers.”

  Grant smiled for the first time. “I’m sure that’s a comfort to her.”

  “Doesn’t seem to be working too well.”

  “All right. That’s all for now. You can go.”

  “Thank you, Inspector. Call on me anytime.”

  As Tremayne left, Grant stood there for a moment and thought about what he had. He knew that he had nothing that he could report to Superintendent Winters, but something about the nature of the woman who was murdered had emerged, and he thought it might be useful.

  He left the theatre and walked back toward Scotland Yard wondering what he could do next, and then he wondered why he was doing anything. We’ve got a suspect all sewed up, but somehow it doesn’t seem right. The thought disturbed him, and he could not shake it out of his head as he moved along the street.

  TWELVE

  The sun, beaming with a sidereal brilliance, was almost directly overhead as Dylan turned and walked toward the Trent mansion. He had gone through rehearsal and had been somewhat shocked to find that he saw almost everyone in the cast as a possible murderer. He knew Grant had seen the same thing, and it was obvious that the inspector was like a snapping turtle, hanging on to whatever he put his mind to until it thundered.

  He gave three raps with the heavy brass knocker, then stepped back. It seemed only a few seconds until the door opened, and an attractive maid gave him a quick look, then smiled. “Yes, sir, can I help you?”

  “I’d like to see the Viscountess, please.”

  “She’s occupied right now, sir.Would you care to wait?” The maid had dark red hair and unusual green eyes. Right now those eyes were fixed on Dylan in a way that he had seen before. He was used to women being attracted to him, for an actor who was not completely hideous seemed to draw them like flies. “Would it be possible for me to see Mr. Newton?”